Navin Bidaisee, Cephas Cooper drafted into Red Force team for CCC game

Powergen standouts Navin Bidaisee and Cephas Cooper have been drafted into the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force squad replacements for the pair of Yannic Cariah and Tion Webster for the sixth round West Indies Four-Day Championships match against Combined Campuses and College (CCC).

The sixth-placed Red Force team will begin their clash with the cellar-placed CCC team from 10 am on April 10 at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine.

Coach David Furlonge is expecting an improved performance following his team's heavy eight-wicket loss to Barbados Pride at the Queen's Park Oval, St Clair last month, and he expects Bidaisee to fit into the squad seamlessly if he is given his TT debut.

Webster, who featured in the Dream11 Bago T10 Blast tournament with champion team Store Bay Snorkelers, was involved in a nasty collision with a teammate during the final on April 5. Furlonge said the allrounder is still recuperating from the blow, while he also has a couple of niggling injuries which have hampered his selection.

Meanwhile, Furlonge said Webster's QPCC teammate, Cariah, has withdrawn from the squad due to "personal reasons."

Furlonge said Bidaisee has shown good promise since his playing days at the youth level, and he sees no reason why the 24-year-old can't translate his current form into the senior setup.

In the TT Cricket Board (TTCB) National League Premiership I this season, Bidaisee cracked three fifties and the solitary century which came in the final round against league champions Central Sports. In the first two games of the Premiership 50-over competition, Bidaisee cracked back-to-back scores of 74 against Merry Boys and QPCC.

Bidaisee is grateful for the chance to show his mettle at the regional level.

"It's a privilege to represent TT," Bidaisee told Newsday on April 9.

"It's always been a dream of mine. I'm really grateful and thankful to the man above for keeping me patient and consistent and helping me live this dream."

Bidaisee said national selection wasn't foremost on his mind, but he said he was in a good head space before the start of the season and the performances have been flowing as a result.

Bidaisee, who played four List A matches for CCC in 2022, is eager to do whatever the Red Force setup requires.

"I don't really see it as filling a void. Whatever role I have to play in the team, I will play it to the best of my ability. I know I am capable with the bat, ball and in the field."

In their previous match against Barbados, Red Force were bowled out for 172 and 124 as they were blown away by Jomel Warrican and the visitors. Furlonge knocked the performance of his batsmen, and he said vast improvements must be made in that department if the Red Force are to put in a thorough effort against their round six opponents.

"It's not so much that our batsmen are bad, I think we played bad shots in the last game. We have to focus on not playing those rash shots," Furlonge told Newsday.

He said they have put the onus on the opening batsmen to set the platform to get 300-plus scores, but he said the entire batting department must pull up their socks.

"We put the responsibility on the guys at the wicket. When you're in, you have to forget who's coming next," he said. "It's not number ten or 11 batting there."

Furlonge also mentioned the positive influence of Shannon Gabriel's return to the squad, and he said the 35-year-old fast bowler is still a threat to batsmen in the Caribbean and he believes CCC will be wary of his pace on the UWI wicket. With 59 Test matches for the Windies under his belt, Furlonge is expecting Gabriel to show off his experience and lead from the front against the youthful CCC team.

Red Force squad: Joshua Da Silva (captain), Bryan Charles (vice-captain), Navin Bidaisee, Cephas Cooper, Shannon Gabriel, Jyd Goolie, Terrance Hinds, Amir Jangoo, Jason Mohammed, Vikash Mohan, Kjorn Ottley, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre.